Richard Branstead-Smith
Richard James Branstead-Smith was a Dranian politician formerly formerly serving as Chairman of the right-wing Grand National Party and as Minister of Internal Affairs in the administration of Prime Ministers José Gomez (PP) and Connor Egan (PLA). Between 3416 and 3420, he was President of Dranland. Life Born as Richard J. Smith to a lower middle-class family - his father being a truck driver and his mother a housewife -, he grew up in one of the poorer districts of Iglesia Mayor, where he also attended high school. While his father was a radical socialist and union member, his mother was a devoted member of the Universal Church of Terra and taught her son conservative values from early on. His father was often abroad and could thus not interfere with the establishment of young Richard's political ideas. When he died in 3368, only one week after Richard had passed his final exams at school, both he and his mother had to work part-time to make ends meet. Simultaneously, he began to study law at the National University of Law and Government in Santa Sharika, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 3371 and a master's degree three years later. He soon became employed in a law firm in his home town and began to work as an independent lawyer after obtaining his Ph.D. in law in 3378. Politics He first got involved in politics after he had rise to prominence nationally for defending a doctor who had declined to conduct an abortion despite immanent danger for the mother's life, which was discussed controversially in the media. In 3389, Branstead-Smith was elected to the Ulbrach legislature and became the justice spokesman of the local GNP faction, a position which he held until 3397, when he became a federal MP. Serving as a backbencher until 3401, he then became Minister of Internal Affairs in the right-wing four-way cabinet of José Gomez (PP) and subsequently Chairman of the GNP following the resignation of Jasmine Hastings. Branstead-Smith was considered the compromise candidate of the old party establishment against the radical and anarchist-leaning wing, whose foremost proponent, failed Ulbrach gubernatorial candidate Steve McCrory he defeated in the leadership election, however the margin (57.5% to 42.5%) was considered small in comparison to the results giants like Janice LeCoultre used to score. Under his leadership, GNP and CNP strengthened there already close co-operation even more. In March 3405, after lengthy negotiations led by himself and his CNP counterpart Margaret Woodhall, the two parties re-united, and Branstead-Smith was re-elected as Chairman by a convincing margin, defeating heavyweights such as Geoffrey Fox and Delia Breckinridge. However, in the ensuing elections of June 3405, the GNP failed to make substantial gains despite the merger, losing many voters to the People's Libertarian Alliance. Nevertheless, it held onto power in a PLA-PP-GNP coalition, with James Tanaka as Deputy Prime Minister. In the ensuing tenure, Branstead-Smith's authority as Chairman eroded following constant infighting between the then-dominating traditionalists and the libertarians, fueled by criticism from influential former Prime Minister Janice LeCoultre. Torn between staying true to his personal conservatism and appealing to liberal forces, he made decisions as Interior Minister contrary to his own beliefs, such as opposing restrictions on the sale of drugs. In November 3408, Branstead-Smith won a second term as Chairman, defeating Loren Governor Elaine Rodgers by a razor-thin margin in the runoff, however the latter refused to concede and her supporters managed to enforce several recounts. After the final recount, which put the Incumbent at 50.2% compared to his rival's 49.8%, the leadership council halted the race and declared Branstead-Smith the winner, however Rodgers did not formally accept the results. She did, however, refrain from taking further steps. In the ensuing general election, the GNP gained six seats and re-established itself as the leading right-wing party in Dranland. Additionally, James Tanaka won the presidential election by a landslide. Both helped to give a boost to the Chairman's weakened authority. However, the loss of the coalition majority meant that the left-leaning parties were able to implement policies such as the nationalization of TOCs, the legalization of eminent domain, the introduction on customs on foreign goods and restrictions on foreign investments, all of which was opposed by the GNP. Thus, many right-wingers longed for a more belligerent leader, namely Margaret Woodhall, who went on to defeat Branstead-Smith in the 3412 leadership elections. Due to their personal closeness, the Incumbent did not display any bitterness over his defeat, but rather praised his successor and even offered to "gladly lend her a hand during the general election campaign should she require some assistance." When Dranland imposed sanctions on Hulstria in 3413 and 3414 as a response to alleged human rights abuses, Branstead-Smith's ministry was responsible for issuing travel bans and the freeze of assets held by Hulstrian government officials in Dranland. In December 3414, following a cabinet reshuffle, he resigned as Internal Minister and was succeeded by Jacqueline Townsend, who rose to fame with her disclosures on the violent assault on a Kyo man in Luz de la Mar which she linked to the fascist Valdorian Blue Shirt Movement. Two years later, after having served one year as Speaker of Parliament, he was elected President, defeating Green Solidarity candidate John Ortega by a commanding 61 to 31 percent margin. In his first year as Presidet, the assassination attempt against Margaret Woodhall took place. Branstead-Smith, a close personal friend of the Prime Minister, delivered the following statement: ''- "I was left devastated by the news of Margaret's almost-death (...) and I sincerely hope that she will at least recover to an extent that enables her to see her husband and her children again, which is so much more important than the question of a potential return to politics. Whatever will happen, Matthew and the rest of Margaret's charming family can be sure that my prayers and thoughts are with them, and so are those of the Dranish people."'' In late 3419, it was announced that he would step aside in favor of Tom Marshall in the presidential race, thus not seeking a second term. As President, he was well-liked across the political spectrum due to his temperate nature and diplomatic rhetoric. Electoral History !colspan=7 align=center|Parliament (Capilla Blanca, Iglesia Mayor, Ulbrach) |- !align=center|Election !align=center|1st Round !align=center|% !align=center|2nd Round !align=center|% !align=center|Swing !align=center|Result |- |align=left|Jun 3397||770,000||38.5||1130000||56.5||▲+-0||Won |- |align=left|Jun 3401||620,000||31.0||938,000||46.9||▼9.6||Lost (kept seat via party list) |- |align=left|Jun 3405||788,000||39.4||1052000||52.6||▲5.7||Won |- |align=left|Jun 3409||898,000||44.9||1152000||57.6||▲5.0||Won |- |align=left|Nov 3412||1080000||54.0||N/A||N/A||▲9.1||Won |- |align=left|Nov 3416||1120000||56.3||N/A||N/A||▲2.3||Won |} GNP Leadership election, 3405 |'Candidate' |'Round 1 %' |'Round 2 %' |'Swing' |- |Richard Branstead-Smith |32.9% |43.3% |▲10.4 |- |Delia Breckinridge |27.9% |29.2% |▲1.3 |- |Geoffrey Fox |20.8% |27.5% |▲6.7 |- |Steve McCrory |18.4% |colspan=2|''Eliminated'' |} GNP Leadership election, 3408 |'Candidate' |'Round 1 %' |'Swing' |'Round 2 %' |'Swing' |- |Richard Branstead-Smith |31% |▼1.9 |50.2% |▲19.2 |- |Elaine Rodgers |29% |▲+-0 |49.8% |▲20.8 |- |James McClellan |26% |▲+-0 |colspan=2|''Withdrew'' |- |Steve McCrory |14% |▼4.4 |colspan=2|''Eliminated'' |} GNP Leadership Election, 3412 |'Candidate' |'Round 1 %' |'Swing' |'Round 2 %' |'Swing' |- |Margaret Woodhall |42.9% |▲+-0 |54.5% |▲11.6 |- |Richard Branstead-Smith |38.6% |▲7.6 |45.5% |▲6.9 |- |Jenny Maldonado |18.5% |▲+-0 |colspan=2|''Eliminated'' |} Dranish Presidential Election, 3416 |'Candidate' |'Round 1 Votes' |'Percentage' |'Round 2 Votes' |'Percentage' |- |Richard Branstead-Smith (GNP, PP) |21,803,377 |34.17% |33,561,061 |60.36% |- |John Ortega (GS, DSP, PAC, ED) |20,433,341 |32.02% |21,861,091 |39.32% |- |Daniel Aznar (VBSM) |14,891,035 |23.34% |colspan=2|''Eliminated'' |- |Cadell Cadwallader (PGR) |4,095,132 |6.42% |colspan=2|''Eliminated'' |- |Kenji Keido (VKA) |2,424,568 |3.80% |colspan=2|''Eliminated'' |} Category:Grand National Party (Dranland) politicians Category:GNP leaders Category:Dranian people